The early returns on the third line have been good. Despite not producing much during the first five games, things looked promising. It took the sixth game for the third line to deliver a big performance. They erupted in a 7-2 blowout win over the Canadiens on Tuesday night at Bell Centre.
Prior to the game, the Montreal Canadiens honored their past legends from the 1970s Stanley Cup championship teams. If you had MSG Network on, they showed nothing. Apparently, it’s too much for them to show a great ceremony for one of sports most storied franchises. I opted to watch the game on TSN via my laptop. I caught the tail end, which included the anthems.
Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, and Will Cuylle combined for two goals and five assists to highlight the Rangers’ latest victory. They swept a three-game road trip by overmatching a young, rebuilding Montreal. Since losing a 6-5 decision to Utah HC in overtime on Oct. 12, they’ve won four in a row. Over that stretch, they’ve outscored opponents 20-6. Excluding the six goals they allowed to Utah HC, the Rangers have outscored opponents 26-6 in their five wins.
Nobody has had a better offense to start the season. The Rangers are averaging 5.17 goals-per-game. Of the 31 goals they’ve scored, 20 have come at 5-on-5. A nice improvement from last season. They’re getting contributions from everyone. In a fast-paced game that saw the Canadiens use their speed to generate quality scoring chances, it was the role players who excelled for the Blueshirts.
At least for one night, the top line was quiet. Alexis Lafreniere saw his five-game point streak to start the season end. Vincent Trocheck was held off the score sheet and was the only minus of the Rangers’ 18 skaters. Artemi Panarin picked up a secondary assist on Mika Zibanejad’s goal that opened the scoring to extend his point streak to six.
On a play in transition, Panarin moved the puck over for Adam Fox in the Montreal zone. Fox quickly found Zibanejad open for a one-timer in the slot that beat Canadiens starter Sam Montembeault at 54 seconds.
It took them 71 seconds to double the lead. On a innocent looking play, they took advantage of a mishap by the Canadiens. Braden Schneider sent in a puck behind the Canadiens’ net. Both Logan Mailloux and Jayden Struble thought it was icing. They stopped skating. That allowed a hustling Adam Edstrom to get to the loose puck and center in front for a Johnny Brodzinski goal. By the reaction of Montembeault, he probably thought the same thing as his defensemen. The gift gave the Rangers an early two-goal lead 2:05 in.
Following Brodzinski’s first of the season, the Canadiens turned up the pressure. In particular, Hutson had some excellent offensive shifts in the Rangers’ zone. A first-year player who played for Boston University in 2023-24, the offensive defenseman used his skating to create some opportunities for teammates. That aggressive mindset can sometimes lead to mistakes. Earlier in a shift, he had a shot blocked by Trocheck. Coming out of his zone, Hutson got stripped by Reilly Smith. That led to Smith coming in and beating Montembeault on a breakaway for an unassisted goal at 6:40.
Rather than take a timeout, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis watched his team fall behind even further. With Josh Anderson off for cross-checking Trocheck, the Rangers went to work. It was the second unit that produced a power-play goal. On a play started by Kakko, Smith found Chytil open for a shot in front that made it 4-0. That chased Montembeault from the game. He allowed four goals on 10 shots.
The Canadiens got a lift from backup Cayden Primeau. They picked it up to get back in the game. On a night they honored past Montreal Canadiens legends for the 1970s Stanley Cup dynasty, it was captain Nick Suzuki who broke the ice on Igor Shesterkin. David Savard and Josh Anderson combined to set up Suzuki in front for his first of the season with 7:08 left in the first period.
Ryan Lindgren was too late on the coverage. It was his first game. He wore a full protective mask due to having surgery on his jaw. He was a step behind throughout. He played 17:20 while on the third pair with rookie Victor Mancini. That included 2:17 on the penalty kill.
Following the Suzuki tally, the Habs nearly made it 4-2. But Shesterkin denied Jake Evans’ bid. That was a big save.
With the Rangers ahead 4-1, Kakko had an active shift. Battling for position in front, he got into it with Evans. The two went back and forth, leading to a scrum. Each were sent off for matching roughing minors. It’s rare that we’ve seen Kakko play with that much intensity. He was dialed in.
During the 4-on-4, Suzuki came close to getting his second of the period. But he had his wrist shot go off the goalpost. When the teams returned to full strength, Chytil also sent a shot off the goalpost. He was flying throughout.
When they attacked the Rangers, the Canadiens caused havoc. Their top forwards were dangerous. That was evident in the second period. Kirby Dach had two shots stopped by Shesterkin early on. For a player who missed most of last season due to a torn ACL, he looked good. He’s been a bit unlucky with injuries. The Habs need him to stay healthy. He’s a good player. Dach was involved on Suzuki’s second of the game.
Adam Fox was sent off for hooking Brendan Gallagher. It didn’t take long for Montreal to capitalize on the power play. Dach and Mike Matheson combined to work the puck over for Suzuki at the right point. He then skated past Lindgren and made a nice move to beat Shesterkin on a forehand, backhand deke that made it 4-2 at 5:35. On the play, Jacob Trouba was tied up with his man in front. Lindgren let Suzuki go. With Trouba preoccupied, it became a one-on-one between Suzuki and Shesterkin. He scored a nice goal to get the Canadiens back in the game.
With the crowd alive, Mailloux searched for more. However, he had a couple of shots blocked by Trocheck. When he isn’t scoring, Trocheck’s doing the little things to help the Rangers be successful. That’s why he’s their best center. When they need a key draw won, he’s taking it. Like Zibanejad, he is excellent on the penalty kill. It’s Trocheck who centers the Rangers’ best line. Where would they be without him? Give Chris Drury credit. When Ryan Strome left, he signed Trocheck away from the Hurricanes. It’s been a great fit.
On a rush, Lafreniere came close to extending his point streak. But his shot rang off the goalpost. He’s a lot more dangerous. Opponents can’t just zero in on Panarin anymore.
If there was a turning point, it came courtesy of Braden Schneider. On a strong shift from the third line, Chytil made a nice cross-ice feed for Schneider, who was able to beat Primeau from the left circle with a snapshot upstairs. That goal took the energy out of Bell Centre. It was a crucial moment.
The Canadiens weren’t the same team after that. The Rangers outplayed them for the remainder of the period. They outshot the Habs 13-6. Primeau made some good saves to keep the deficit at three.
In the third period, Trouba delivered a thunderous check on Justin Barron that sent him flying to the ice. Barron was skating into the Rangers’ zone when Trouba came across and leveled the Canadiens defenseman. It was a high hit that caught Barron’s chin. Matheson immediately responded by going after Trouba. The Rangers captain had no choice but to drop the gloves for another clean hit.
The NHL Situation room later clarified why it wasn’t a penalty – backing up the decision from refs Brandon Blandina and Kendrick Nicholson. Trouba received five minutes for fighting. In addition to the fighting major, Matheson was assessed an instigator and misconduct for starting it. It was understandable why he defended Barron. Trouba hits hard. Players can get hurt when he comes across and delivers such a big check. It didn’t help that Barron was in a prone position. He moved the puck and got walloped. Fortunately, he returned for the third.
The Rangers didn’t score on the power play. However, they controlled most of the play. Primeau was peppered. They outshot the Canadiens 19-6. The difference was how they attacked. Having a stronger supporting cast helps. In addition to the stellar play of Chytil, Kakko, and Cuylle, the fourth line was very effective. Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, and Edstrom dominated most of their shifts. Carrick continues to make things happen. He looks like a steal. Credit Drury for that.
With over four minutes left in regulation, Carrick was involved in front with Cuylle. As both poked away at a rebound, that allowed Chytil to deposit it past Primeau for his second of the game. That put the game out of reach.
On the next shift, Kakko scored his first of the season. Mancini moved the puck up for Cuylle, who then passed across for Kakko at the Montreal blue line. He skated into the right circle and had his wrist shot go through Primeau to make it 7-2 with 3:41 remaining. It gave him a three-point game (1-2-3). He’s had several two-point games in his career. I believe that was the first three-point game of his career. It’s the best he’s looked. Kakko is up to a goal and four assists for five points. That line is coming together.
The Rangers return home to take on the Panthers on Thursday. Florida was blown out 5-1 at home by the Wild on Frozen Frenzy night. They should be in a foul mood. It’ll be the first meeting since the two teams battled in the Eastern Conference Final. It’s a step up in competition. Exactly the kind of game you want to see them play. We’ll see how it goes.
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